Life in Citations
Biblical Narratives and Contemporary Hebrew Culture
Routledge Studies in Comparative Literature Series

In her latest book, Life in Citiations: Biblical Narratives and Contemporary Hebrew Culture, Ruth Tsoffar studies several key biblical narratives that figure prominently in Israeli culture. Life in Citations provides a close reading of these narratives, along with works by contemporary Hebrew Israeli artists that respond to them. Together they read as a modern commentary on life with text, or even life under the rule of its verses, to answer questions like How can we explain the fascination and intense identification of Israelis with the Bible? What does it mean to live in such close proximity with the Bible, and What kind of story can such a life tell?

Introduction: Biblical Habitus. 1. Costly Epiphany of Milk and Honey. 2. Gifts of Wounds: Isaac, Ishmael, and the Legacies of Abuse. 3. Ruth’s Homecoming: Meta-Bread, Transformation, and Offspring. In Lieu of an Epilogue: Ruptured and Departure: Palestinian Breadscape. Index.

Ruth Tsoffar is an Associate Professor of Women’s Studies, Comparative Literature, and Judaic Studies at the University of Michigan.